8 Great Apps for Tax Season

Take The Stress Out of Tax Season Using Your Smartphone

The countdown is on until Tax Day, which this year falls on April 17, instead of the usual date of April 15. With just a few weeks remaining, staying organized is critical due to the mountains of paperwork typically involved with getting tax returns ready.
Whether you are the one preparing your taxes or an accountant is taking over, MainStreet put together some of the must-have apps to make the next several weeks a bit less stressful.
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TurboTax SnapTax

What if you could take a picture of your W-2 form, answer some questions and file your taxes right from your smartphone? That’s exactly what this app (on the iPhone and Android) does. While the app is free, it’ll cost you $19.99 to file your taxes, assuming you file by March 23.
Now the app does come with some caveats – it’s not for those who own any real estate nor is it for people who have kids or whose annual income exceeds $100,000.
Price: Free
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Dictionary of Tax Terms

Throughout tax season, you’ll come across plenty of technical terms that you may not understand at first. That’s why the Dictionary of Tax Terms iPhone app features some 600 definitions of common tax terms – to turn you into a tax expert by the time you’ve finished preparing your taxes.
Price: $2.99
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TaxACT Central

This iPhone and Android app has your back when it comes to tax season. The app features a checklist to make sure you have the appropriate documents on hand to prepare your taxes. It even lets you check the status of your e-filed return.
Price: Free
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iDonatedIt

If you’ve never used the iDonatedIt iPhone and Android app before, it’ll be helpful during next year’s tax season, especially if you frequently donate clothing or other items to charity. In some cases, donations are tax deductible and the app lets you track your donations throughout the year to make life easy when determining the exact amount of your donations during tax time.
Use the app to create lists of what you donate, take pictures of your donations and most importantly, email of this information to yourself.
Price: $2.99
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H&R Block Mobile

If you don’t already have an accountant, you may find difficulty in trying to hire one days before Tax Day, since this is arguably the busiest time of the year for accountants. That said, if you have questions about filing taxes and would rather leave it up to an expert, using a tax professional at your local H&R Block branch is a way to speak to someone in-person about your taxes.
The H&R Block Mobile app (on the iPhone and Android phones) lets you search for the nearest H&R Block office and schedule an appointment.
Price: Free
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TaxCaster

Want a heads-up on around how much money in taxes you’ll owe? Use the TaxCaster app (available on the iPhone and Android phones) to find out how much of a tax refund (if any) you should expect to receive. Answer some questions (your age, how much you earn, the number of dependents you have) and the app does the calculations for you.
Price: Free
Photo Credit: Apple.com

Shoeboxed Receipt Tracker and Receipt Reader

This app (on the iPhone and Android platforms) lets you use the iPhone’s camera to take a picture of your receipts and the app will store the data – this way you don’t have to deal with hundreds of crumpled up receipts during tax season when you’re trying to determine your expenses.
Price: Free
Photo Credit: Apple.comScott Gamm is the founder of the personal finance website HelpSaveMyDollars.com. He has appeared on NBC’s TODAY, MSNBC and CNN. Follow Scott on Facebook and Twitter.

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